


The Convalescence of Nico di Angelo

by orphan_account



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Crushes, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, M/M, New love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-07-28 23:52:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7662025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on Nico's ever-inspiring infirmary stay. He's pretty ill, and Will's pretty smitten (so's Nico). Burgeoning romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> I've taken the liberty of inventing a character named Mara - an Apollo cabin healer a little older than Will. I didn't want Will to be Nico's main healer, and none of Mr. Riordan's characters seemed to suit the role.
> 
> My references to chakras and humors are basically out of my imagination rather than any scholarly research, I admit. But I remember Will humming an ancient hymn in one of the books, so that's my inspiration for Mara's skills.

"Shhhh...", 16 year old child of Apollo, Mara, put a finger to her lips as Chiron wheeled into the infirmary. It was very early morning, and all the patients were sleeping peacefully, the morning light barely lightening the windows. Mara had hoped Chiron wouldn't ever have to know about this. He rarely dropped in to the infirmary unless notified by the healers. But, everyone had a soft spot for Nico these days, and Chiron had just stopped in to get an update on his condition. Mara hoped he would be open to listening to her - it was unconventional therapy. Nico had improved tremendously over the past 24 hours, but campers sleeping, even just sleeping, together was a huge camp no-no. Mara pointed at the sickbay at the end of the ward and silently pulled back the curtain. Chiron raised his eyebrows at what he saw, glancing at Mara sharply. But as he looked back at the boys nestled together on the bed like kitten-siblings, he smiled with his eyes. He observed Nico's bandaged arm wrapped around the waist of none other than Will Solace, the head counselor for Apollo cabin and chief healer. It appeared that Nico's hand was clutched in Will's, and both hands were tucked against Will's chest under his green scrub shirt. Nico's sleeping face was pressed into Will's shoulder blade with waves of dark hair obscuring his eyes. They were spooned together tightly, lightly draped to their hips with a crisp white sheet. Will snored softly, but neither boy moved.

Mara slid the curtain closed and motioned Chiron to head back out of the infirmary where they could talk outside.

On the ramp outside, Chiron started to speak: "Firstly, adorable." Mara nodded, surprised and relieved, and she couldn't help but smile. "But, what am I seeing here?", Chiron continued.

Mara pursed her lips. She looked tired. "Not exactly sure, but I'll tell ya... you know we've had such a struggle with Nico. He was losing corporeality so rapidly. Sleep alone wasn't restoring him fast enough. We had to do some serious emotional healing... oils, the ancient hymns. But Nico was seriously blocking our attempts. We would start to deconstruct an emotional block, and Nico would fight it - physically. Tears would stream from his sleeping eyes, and he would thrash about. It was devastating to watch. And his body wasn't strong enough to handle any of that, so his life force would ebb.... it was horrible. He would start to fade. We were losing him, and I had to get Will involved. I've been Nico's assigned healer, but I called Will in yesterday morning to help.". Mara's voice broke with fatigue and compassion as she described how Nico had been in the throes of seizure, his heart rate rising lethally. Will had rushed in, and not knowing what else to do while he assessed Nico's condition, had taken his hand. Almost immediately, Nico had calmed. His heart rate and breathing slowed. His face became peaceful. As soon as Will made to let go, Nico would get agitated. So Will sat beside him on the edge of the bed. Mara was able to continue her therapies, and over the course of a few hours, started to feel Nico's spirit allow the release of the pent up darkness that was wearing out his physical body. By night, Nico appeared to be in a much better place, but his heart rate would still rise, and his aura darken, if Will took so much as a short bathroom break. So, Will has been holding Nico's hand for almost 24 hours now. "I'm sure," Mara concluded, "that at some point in the night Will just got tired and laid down to sleep in a way that he wouldn't relinquish Nico's hand." Mara went on to explain that she thought the worst was over for Nico. She couldn't explain why Will's touch would be so fundamentally reassuring (she had her suspicions). She explained to Chiron that she felt that Nico's healing would continue to involve Will Solace in some important way. "We can't have healers sleeping with patients," Chiron interjected. "No," Mara agreed. She waved her hand impatiently. "That", she waved her hand towards the infirmary ward, presumably toward the cuddled-up boys, "is a strange one-off... but a harbinger for Nico and Will, maybe...". She paused, an then continued, "This is what I think Nico needs from this point: he needs lots of good food, peace, time to play, time to himself, a lot of sweaty physical activity, sunshine - and... ...romance.... He needs lots of sweet kisses from a cute ...friend.". Chiron was nodding wisely - this, too, was ancient healing - love. " We don't know if Nico wants all of that... ," Chiron added astutely, "though I'll facilitate all I can. He's been through too much for a 14 year old kid...". They were both silent, but after a moment heard the quiet commotion of Will Solace stumbling through the infirmary door, still half asleep and rubbing his eyes. He stopped short when he saw them, his cheeks flushed red. "Oh, Hey,". He said by way of greeting, and not really making eye contact. "I think Nico's ok. He's sleeping peacefully now. I'm going to bed for another hour or two before breakfast.". He turned to Mara. "Grab me when he wakes up, would you?". He didn't really wait for an answer but stumbled off towards cabin 7.

\-----  
Reaching his cabin, Will took a moment to lean against the wall still in the night shadows. He rested his head against the cool boards and took a deep breath. "Idiot... Idiot....", he berated himself under his breath. He couldn't believe he'd taken advantage of a patient's vulnerability, he didn't know what came over him. "Not entirely true, Solace," he admitted to himself. He'd liked Nico since Manhattan. He thought back to that moment: Nico appearing out of nowhere, the enemy falling away before him as he marched toward Kronos. "Your death would be good for me", he'd taunted. Will had been about 10 feet away, and stunned into momentarily forgetting he was stabilizing an Ares kid with three arrow wounds for transport to safety. 

It had just seemed the most natural thing in the world this morning, to wake in the arms of the boy he'd liked for over a year, to turn over, and kiss his sleeping face. Will could still feel the softness of Nico's cheek under his lips. But, he had no right to do that, not yet, ...maybe not ever. 

\----  
The next 24 hours passed uneventfully. Will's dayshift at the infirmary was quiet. He had other cabinmates check on Nico (sleeping peacefully, regaining vitality and colour throughout the day). Mara came back after dinner for the night shift, and Will watched for a moment as she started Nico's treatment with the scented oils and the ancient words. Mara was especially skilled with these ancients arts - realigning chakras and balancing humours. Will found himself jealous of her fingertips touching oils to Nico's temples, the base of his neck, along his collar bones. He motioned to Mara that he was going and left quickly. "Pull yourself together," Mara heard him mutter. She smiled.

\----  
When Nico opened his eyes he saw the pink sunlight of dawn through the window; his curtain hadn't been pulled around completely. He felt an excitement in his stomach, like, like... he groped for a matching memory. Like Christmas morning, maybe? He vaguely remembered Christmas from when he was a kid. He felt happy. What? It was strange, and wonderful. He just lay there, and everything made him happy - the light, the sheets, the excited feeling. When Mara glanced around the open curtain for a routine check, the expression on Nico's fully-awake face made her smile. He had a huge grin and laughing eyes that made him absolutely stunning - even with major bed-head, and pillow creased cheeks. "Might have overdone it a bit stimulating the heart Chakra last night....."Mara thought to herself. "But, if anyone deserves an extra dose of joy, it's this boy.". Her heart warmed to see him so vital and happy. 

"Good morning!", she said warmly., "how do you feel?"

"Great!", Nico stretched out in the bed, still smiling widely. "I feel absolutely perfect, isn't that weird?...though I'm starving...", he admitted.

"Well, that's good news! If you feel like you can, you're free to get up," she told him. "You can shower and get changed. I can bring you some breakfast. Let's see how you do on your feet. You've been out for a week!"

"I have?," Nico was still smiling, though less exuberantly now, as he turned back the sheets and placed his feet on the floor. "I'm good," he announced, standing upright and not wavering. Mara pointed him toward the shower, and said she'd bring him a change of clothes.

Nico relished the pounding hot water of the shower, scrubbed his hair with the borrowed toiletries, and felt like I new person as he brushed his teeth. He had soaked the gauze around his biceps, and he unwound the soggy bandages. He frowned at the jagged wounds, still swollen and inflamed. Reyna's hasty stitches had been replaced by neat, professional sutures, but healing seemed a long way off yet. The searing pain was as constant as before his sleep-week. He shrugged at himself in the mirror; the pain hardly registered, really. Happiness still washed over him, and he grinned in the mirror at himself. When had he last looked in a mirror? His hair looked ridiculous! Shaggy and hanging below his chin. His face was thin, cheekbones jutting, his eyes shadowy as always, well-defined eyebrows not scrunched in worry. Had he always had perfect teeth? He'd never noticed before...

He pulled himself away from the self-love fest and grabbed the clothes Mara had put out for him. His own, but freshly laundered, boxers, jeans (black, of course), and a new plain black t-shirt. He had to shift down a hole in his belt to accommodate the weight he'd lost the past week, which reminded him of breakfast, and his stomach rumbled.

Nico sat cross-legged on the bed, devouring the bagel with cream cheese Mara had brought him. He had a coffee with milk and sugar, and a strawberry yogurt, and an orange. Everything tasted amazing. Mara perched on the edge of the bed and told him about is week while she re-bandaged his arms. He was shocked by his close-call and became solemn as he listened. Mara skipped over the part about Will sleeping next to him. "So, am I better now?" Nico asked. He felt so great, it was hard to imagine he had almost died. Not that almost dying was a terribly new experience for him... "well, yes, but it's just summer camp for you right now. Run around in the sun, train, eat, hang out with friends - no underworld-y stuff for awhile yet if we can help it". Mara was interrupted by the appearance of Will Solace. They both squinted up at him standing in front of the window, looking very much the son of Apollo in the golden glow of the sunrise. As Will stepped closer Nico could see the smile on his face, and he couldn't help but smile back. Will hadn't seen that expression on Nico's face before: the word "gorgeous!" flashed into his mind, and he felt his heart pound. Mara glanced between them, and parted with the excuse that she needed to check on something.

Will stood by Nico's bed staring at him, under the guise of medical assessment, asking him questions about how he was feeling. He lingered slightly over taking Nico's pulse, feeling his cheeks burning. Thank gods, Nico didn't seem to notice. 

In actual fact, Nico was acknowledging his own fluttery feelings, trying to pull his smile into a neutral expression. 

There was a minute of awkward silence with mutual brief glances alternating with examination of his own hands on Will's part, and seeming fascination with the window on Nico's part. Then Will suggested that, maybe, if Nico wanted to get out of there, maybe they could go for a walk. Nico nodded, not trusting his voice to not betray his eagerness. "Your boots," Will pointed under the bed. "Right," Nico managed. He pulled them on, lacing them deftly. Will offered a hand, but Nico was already rising, and he pulled it back and shoved it into his pocket, cheeks blazing. "OK, lead on," Nico said, pretending not to notice. Will turned abruptly, and Nico followed him out into the sunlight.


	2. The Walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see Nico and Will both as being battle-weary. It's only been just over a week since Gaea awoke, and many of their friends have died. So I've always imagined them just deciding they like each other, and that there's no point in wasting any time and energy fretting about it.
> 
> Nico's ready to "come out of the shadows", and Will's ready to welcome him with open arms - as soon as he makes his confession.

The camp was deserted as Nico and Will walked side by side past the forges and the combat arena towards the western strawberry fields. Nico still found it difficult to suppress a smile as everything he encountered (the sunlight, the early morning bird-song, the warm breeze that carried the promise of a hot sunny day) caused a wave of joy to course through him. He wondered, bemused, if this was how people who didn't spend most of their time in the underworld, battling monsters, and undertaking ridiculous life-threatening challenges felt all the time. He risked a searching glance at his blonde companion. Will wasn't smiling like an idiot. If anything, Will looked worried, or maybe like he was going to be sick! A little nervous alarm invaded Nico's warm and fuzzy headspace. Was Will unhappy about being here with him? But then, Will was the one who asked if Nico wanted to go for a walk.... He was the one who had once (seemed like a long time ago now) had a bit of a fit about how he hadn't seen enough of Nico's (arguably) friendly face.... 

Nico decided to just go for it - small talk. He tried to channel his former self: memories of his mother, his sister Bianca, random strangers on the street leaning in to his young face and whispering with exasperation,"Tacere, bambino! (Be quiet, child!)"; he used to be quite the chatterbox.

"It's a nice day!", he said brightly. Oh gods! He sounded like someone's elderly neighbour. But Will did glance over at him with the teeniest smile, "It's going to be hot again today" he murmured. He shoved his hands deeper in the pockets of his canvas shorts and looked away again.

Nico sighed to himself. The nervous feeling overtook a little more of the joy and he started to feel a bit achy and tired. Maybe a long hike wouldn't be the best idea after being bed-ridden for a week. "It does feel really great to be walking around," he admitted, "but maybe we could just sit for a bit under that tree". He indicated the big shady oak tree on the edge of the strawberry fields. Will looked searchingly at him for a second with a serious, thoughtful expression. A quick medical assessment, Nico figured. "Fair enough," Will agreed.

They flopped down under the tree, Nico lying on his side propped up on an elbow, and Will facing him cross-legged. Will seemed preoccupied by his own hands, and seemed to be biting his right cheek. Nico avoided eye contact by focusing in on Will's faded pink t-shirt. He squinted at it trying to figure it out. "Is that..." he began, looking puzzled, "Thor? Surfing?" Will looked startled at the question. "What?". He noticed where Nico was looking. "Oh", he said, like he'd had to explain this a few times before, "It's He-man surfing. From season II, episode 37." Nico's confusion wasn't lessened. "I've got one with Kool-Aid Man surfing too, and My Pet Monster...", he added absently. Nico was completely lost. "Oh, right," Will said, suddenly realizing that, given his crazy life, Nico would have totally missed cable TV vintage cartoon marathons. "They're from TV in the 1980s. My mom.... I like surfing.... never mind". He stopped geeking out, and looked away again as Nico laughed, shaking his head.

"Ok, I give up.", Nico said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I can't do the small talk thing.". He fixed Will with a serious expression. "What is up with you? You look like you're going to throw up?". Will continued to look wretched, still avoiding Nico's gaze. "Should I get Mara?," Nico made to get up.

"No, no, I...", Will dragged his eyes to Nico's. He felt like he was either going to be sick, or cry. Oh gods. He looked down again and swallowed hard a couple times. He did not want to have this conversation. He just wanted to walk around with this cute boy, who had scared the shit out of him by almost dying but now was so extremely alive, and proving to be funny and interested in him. But, he had to have this conversation. Would Nico ever trust him again? Even so, Nico deserved to know.

Nico waited, looking at him expectantly and wondering what the hell was going on. Will finally took a deep breath. "I have a confession to make", he blurted. 

"OK..." Nico tried to keep his expression neutral, not wanting to even guess where this was going.

"What do you remember about when you were sleeping?", he glanced over at Nico.

Nico raised his eyebrows and shrugged slightly, and in the same split-second decided he wasn't going to do his usual shut-people-out thing. He narrowed his eyes, trying for clear recall. "I was dreaming." He admitted, "Disjointed images of.... all the horrible things I've seen - in Tartarus... and other places, other times. But the dream always settled on that Fucking Jar!". Will jumped at the unexpected aggressive growl and the palpable wave of cold darkness that accompanied it. Nico ground the heels of his hands into his eyes as if trying to erase the memory. "Sorry, the bronze jar", he continued less aggressively, "that the giants trapped me in. Even in the dream I had to fight to maintain the death trance that kept me alive. It took all my energy, all my concentration. In my dream, someone.... Mara, I guess.... kept interrupting the trance, calling me out of it."

"She was trying to dissipate that negative energy," Will explained, "the energy that was wearing away your physical body."

"Right," Nico acknowledged, rolling on to his back and staring up into the tree branches. It felt good to be talking about this. "But when it was really happening, when I was really dying in a jar in Rome, if I broke concentration for longer than it took to eat a pomegranate seed, I knew I would be hastening my death. And not only that, but I knew that if I died, my knowledge of how to find the doors of death and the House of Hades would die with me, and the quest would be doomed, and the world would end."

Will listened wide-eyed. His troubled expression had given way to a look of amazement. Of course, he had felt the impending doom, anticipating what would happen if Gaea succeeded in rising, but he hadn't really allowed himself to comprehend until now the enormity of the pressure placed on the questers - the unrelenting requirements of don't die, keep fighting, sacrifice your body and your mental health. 

Nico continued, "so, in my dream, I remember being so frustrated and angry at each interruption. And each time I succeeded in breaking away from the interruption, it took more effort to maintain the trance. I was beginning to feel hopeless. Just giving in and letting myself die was so seductive...". Nico's voice was steady, but Will noticed the escaping tears. "But then suddenly all there was was golden light."

Will felt his hands shaking as he listened, his heart pounding. He held his breath.

"The golden light was still and peaceful - everything else: fear, despair, fight, dying were cut off from my perception. In the light, I could just be. Like, floating in a bubble of, I don't know, goodness.". Nico was silent, lost in the memory of that reprieve. Will remembered to breathe.

"I took your hand. You know, when you were so troubled in your dream. When you were about to give in to death. I grabbed your hand. I needed to try and figure out what was going on and you were extremely physically agitated, so I grabbed your right hand. And you went still. You relaxed. Your breathing slowed. Your heart rate slowed. Like you were stepping back from a cliff you were about to fall over. But if I let go of your hand, you'd go right back to the edge of the cliff, you know what I mean?"

Nico looked over at Will who's face had a fiery, passionate expression as he looked at Nico intently, leaning toward him inadvertently. He nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from the intensity of Will's gaze. He turned back onto his side, never wanting to look away. "When you let go of my hand, I guess, the light disappeared and I was struggling again to maintain the trance, tempted by death."

"So, I stopped letting go," Will whispered. 

They stared at each other. 

Finally, Nico spoke, "you must've let go at some point.". He smiled wryly. Will smiled back, causing a warm surge of happy-joy to flood over Nico. But then the troubled expression returned. Nico was starting to realize that Will wasn't very good at hiding his emotions; joy, stubborn determination, nervousness transmitted clearly through his expressive features.

Will inched closer to Nico. "We fell asleep holding hands," he finally said, blushing furiously. "I couldn't help it. I was so tired, but I didn't dare let go. I... I... I just curled up beside you, and clutched your hand for dear life, and we slept beside each other for hours." Will paused. Nico waited.

"Is this the confession?", Nico asked bluntly. "I'm grateful..."

"No", Will shook his head. "When I woke up, the next day. You were sleeping peacefully even though our hands had become unclasped. We weren't facing each other, but I turned to look at you, to make sure you were OK. And I saw that you were... and... I kissed you.". There, he'd admitted it. Full confession. He watched Nico blink in surprise. A pink flush coloured his cheeks before he spoke. The words weren't what Will was expecting.

"My first kiss, and I wasn't even fully conscious?" Nico teased, smiling. Will tried to turn off doctor-mode that was noting that Nico's respiratory rate had increased by 10 percent and tried to comprehend that Nico didn't seem to be angry.

"I'm sorry," he apologized anyway. "I don't know what came over me. I mean, I do, but it still wasn't okay...". Nico stopped Will's frantic apology/explanation by raising his palm in the universal sign for silence. Will closed his mouth.

"I guess what you'll have to do," Nico said archly, "is re-enact the whole thing so I can participate." 

Will's mouth fell open again. He waited for Nico to admit he was joking, but Nico's deep, dark eyes held his, and though he was smiling gently, he wasn't making fun. 

It was Will's turn to decide to just go with it. He was tired from preparing for the war, from his unrelenting healing efforts, from grief for those who didn't make it. He didn't have the energy to play games. He moved closer to Nico without saying anything, without breaking eye contact. He moved down onto his side, his face just inches from Nico's. Nico's expression was excited, yet patient. Will slowly reached out his right hand to take Nico's sword-roughened hand into his. Nico tightened his fingers against the back of Will's hand. Nico was barely breathing as Will moved even closer, but then Will stopped suddenly, "You're eyes were closed." He smiled as Nico promptly obeyed the implied order, his long eyelashes brushing his cheeks. The soft touch of Will's lips to Nico's cheek lasted the briefest moment. 

Nico smiled before he opened his eyes, and when he did look up Will's sky-blue eyes were looking searchingly into his. His face was still so close Nico could feel his warm breath, and he smelled of apples. "If you were Italian, you would just be saying Hello," Nico teased ever so gently. But he didn't move his face away. Their lips met softly, sweetly, and briefly. And after this kiss their faces stayed even closer together. Will's eyes remained closed this time, but Nico moved in for another kiss, catching Will by surprise though he recovered quickly, returning Nico's kiss firmly. 

They remained like that, under the ancient tree, bathed in dappled early morning sunlight utterly enchanted with each other, sweetly kissing each other breathless until the obnoxious sounding of the conch horn signaled the beginning of breakfast. Will lifted his head, and looked toward the cabins and the dining pavillion. "Damn," he sighed, "I have to get my cabin to breakfast.". 

He looked down at Nico who had rolled onto his back and was looking up at him. He dropped one last kiss on that gorgeous grin, and scrambled to his feet. Nico propped himself on his elbows to watch Will jog away. "I'll see you later", Will called over his shoulder. 

Nico fell back to the ground and stared, grinning, into the swaying tree branches. Could one be too happy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be at least another chapter, maybe two. Nico's first day after his infirmary stay has only just begun!


	3. Breakfast and Breakthrough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day continues. Nico has second thoughts. Will shares his backstory and has some helpful insights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Highlights Will's back story, which I haven't read too much about in other places. Conventional, it seems, to have him from the south, but with Rick having him in surfing t-shirts and a skier's tan, I picture him North West Coast.

At breakfast, Nico was greeted enthusiastically by Jason, Piper, and Annabeth. Percy had already eaten quickly and had gone back to his cabin to iris-message his mom. Nico was a little relieved to be able to delay seeing Percy for the first time since admitting his, albeit over, crush. He wondered whether that juicy news had spread around camp yet. Will seemed to have already known that he might welcome a kiss from a boy.... Nico pushed those thoughts aside as his friends ushered him toward the line-up of campers.

Breakfast was always a pretty casual affair at Camp Half Blood, served buffet-style with campers allowed to roam between tables. Nico served himself a heaping plate of eggs and bacon, and seated himself between Jason and Piper, good-naturedly accepting teasing about how much he was eating ("and it's my second breakfast, so screw you all, ha ha"), happily listening to the chatter about what had been happening at camp the past week. Demigods were resilient kids, and it sounded like, in the wake of Gaea's defeat, normal camp activities were resuming, even as repairs to the camp and woods were conducted, and even as the dead were mourned and the wounded were recovering. He could see evidence of casualty around the tables - arms in slings, some unbandaged healing wounds, haunted eyes. It dawned on him that he had just described his own condition. His biceps throbbed sharply as if offended to have been forgotten for awhile. Starting the day by kissing Will Solace under a big old oak tree in the sunshine had given the day a sense of altered reality. 

He surreptitiously glanced around for Will and found him at table 7 busy helping a younger sibling slice up a breakfast sausage while simultaneously looking over a sheet of guitar tablature that another sibling was holding up. He pointed to the sheet with his knife, saying something Nico couldn't make out and the kid nodded in understanding. Table 7 seemed to be all Apollo kids, not that Nico really knew them - and unlike the grey eyed Athena kids, and the elfish Hermes kids, there was no particular physical feature that the Apollo kids shared. Instead, there was a sense of composed and confident beauty - regal and well-formed, like athletic classical Greek statuary brought to life, but with modern hairstyles and clad in colourful t-shirts. Apollo, despite acting like an arrogant know-it-all and being in love with himself, was one of the most complex gods - the god of prophecy, medicine, archery, music and poetry. It stood to reason that his kids would be an interesting mix of beautiful, wise, athletic, confident, and articulate. Oh yeah, and the god of the sun, so these kids must have some fire, too. The feel of Will's lips on his suddenly interrupted Nico's train of thought and warmth flooded Nico's chest. So much goodness, Nico thought with an unwelcome twinge of anxiety. It occurred to him that Will, with his litany of godly powers springing from Apollo's goodness and light and pleasure, had no real sense of how opposite they were. What did Will really know about him?

Nico was startled out of his reverie by Chiron's voice from the head table. He was grateful to realize that he hadn't been staring at Will Solace during that whole cerebral detour, but that he'd returned to his breakfast while thinking - his plate almost done. No one seemed to notice that he hadn't been part of the conversation, but then, they were used to Nico being silent and in the background.

"....to see some of our friends released from the infirmary," Chiron was saying. Jason whistled and grinned over at Nico while other campers clapped. "Now, will they be heading to boot-camp now with the rest, or....?," he directed the unfinished question at a big Chinese kid at the Ares table who responded, "Oh I think I have modifieds for everyone." He in turn sought out Will who nodded and spoke, " yeah, we have modified routines prepared for everyone, except Ellis," he indicated an Ares kid with a broken leg and an eye patch, "and Nico" Will continued.

Chiron was nodding and penciling some amendments on his clipboard. He was about to speak but Nico's head had shot up at the sound of his name. "What? Why?," he demanded. He hated people speaking for him. Chiron and, well, the entire assembly of campers turned and stared at him. 

The Ares kid answered first,"if medical doesn't pass you, then you don't, and that's it, di Angelo." 

Will looked at Nico, puzzled. Nico knew how he must look - bedraggled, and thin, with two obviously bandaged arms, and he could feel the familiar scowl on his face. He knew he wasn't ready for the killer training that was the usual requirement of all campers. But he really hated being singled out as one of the weak ones. He could summon.... but he knew he really couldn't right now. 

Piper leaned in and whispered close to his ear, "Chill out". He felt the heat go out of him as the charmspeak washed over him. Although grateful to be calming down (did he really want to make a scene in front of the whole camp?), there it was again: someone else deciding what he should do. He narrowed his eyes at Piper and she stuck out her tongue at him. He rolled his eyes and tried desperately to cling to the all-encompassing happiness he'd felt as he woke this morning. It was like trying to hold a wave on the shore; he could feel the joy ebbing away. 

Chiron had moved on.

"Right, so why don't we put Mr. di Angelo on cabin inspection this morning, and to help get you oriented, I'll pair you up with.... Mr. Solace. Will, you're excused from bootcamp, because after inspection, I'd like you and Nico to complete the perimeter assessment, checking where any residual damage from the battle might require our attention."  
Will smiled tentatively over at Nico, and Nico acknowledged with the faintest upturn of his mouth and a quick thumbs up. Will looked down biting his lip absently, no doubt wondering, "what the fuck??" Nico took a deep breath - why was he suddenly overcome with the urge to just slip away into the shadows? He'd decided to take his own advice that he'd given to Hazel about making second chances at life count. He'd prayed to his father for guidance. He'd admitted his ill-fated crush on Percy Jackson. He'd undergone some pretty intense healing. And the best looking boy at camp had kissed him, and Nico had kissed him back. It was all going so well! But, Nico couldn't shake the feeling that if he truly opened up to Will, if Will really knew about his past, then Will would turn and run in the other direction. Wasn't it better to just push him away now and avoid the hurt later? He remembered just enough about soft lips and sunshine to listen as the little voice in his head reminded sarcastically, "That's worked so well for you in the past..."

So Nico found himself walking side by side with Will Solace in silence, for the second time today. Only this time, Will was smiling, and Nico was grimly looking at the ground. Will was holding the clipboard that Chiron had passed to him on their way towards the cabins.

At the door to cabin one, Will turned to Nico, "feeling tired?". Nico forced himself to make eye contact, and to soften his expression. He shook his head. Will looked at him for a long second, before glancing around. They were alone. "Do you regret this morning?", he asked softly, looking afraid of the answer.  
Nico sighed. "No", he replied simply. Another long look. Then Will sighed, "okay. We'll come back to that later then, ok?"

Nico nodded slowly. Yes, procrastination sounded perfect. "Cabin one", he said, pushing open the door.

Nico found it interesting to do the cabin inspections - he hadn't been in most of the other cabins, and each cabin showcased the different personalities and powers of the godly parent. There were also some new cabins he hadn't seen before. In Tyche's cabin, goddess of good fortune, Nico was surprised to see a poster with the words: mi farai morire with locations and dates - an Italian band he wasn't (not surprisingly) familiar with. "You'll be the death of me," he translated out loud.  
"What?," Will looked up sharply from writing on the clipboard. Nico pointed at the concert poster with his chin. "Oh yeah, Chiara's Italian," Will informed him. "You guys'll be able to talk." Nico considered that. He hadn't really chatted with anyone in his mother tongue since Bianca had died. He studied the poster. Cool band name, anyway. "I'd forgotten you speak Italian," Will was saying. Nico glanced over and saw Will's eyes shining at him. "Say something in Italian....", Will challenged teasingly. Nico studied him intently - blue, blue eyes, gods!. "How is it your eyes are bluer than the sky?", he said fluently in the language of his birth. Will blinked. "What did you say?" he said. Nico felt his cheeks flush, but he held Will's gaze as he lied, "The sky is blue... really blue." Will narrowed his eyes at him, as Nico led out of the cabin.

They did cabin 13 last. Will entered tentatively, respecting Nico's space, and stood just inside the doorway. Nico hadn't been there since his infirmary stay, and he looked around as if it should've changed while he was gone. It had, only in that Hazel had taken down her privacy curtains and made the beds. Nico's only possession, his sword, hung in its scabbard from a couple of nails on the back of the door. "Pass," Will declared. Nico glared at the red velvet and mahogany decor as he grabbed his sword. "There you are," he said to the sword. Will grinned at that, but he looked concerned as Nico winced upon hefting the sword. "Careful with those arms yet," he cautioned, in the tone of someone used to having people take his advice without question. Nico glared in his direction. "I'll be fine.". He stomped out of his cabin. Will rolled his eyes to the ceiling before following.

It quickly became obvious that the perimeter assessment was a make-work project. As Nico and Will walked they could see that all was either back to usual, or work crews were already fixing fences or replanting hedgerows. The boys took advantage, and perched themselves atop a rail fence in a deserted area near the edge of the woods. Nico had used his sword to reach up and slice down two ripe apples from a nearby tree and they sat snacking. Will seemed about to say something, but Nico interjected with, "When did you first come to camp?". Will seemed taken aback, but recovered quickly. He didn't always share his story, but he liked sitting with Nico, and it prevented the conversation he was a bit afraid of from happening. "Get comfortable...", he began.

"I'm from the west coast," he began, "Tacoma, Washington.". He looked at Nico as if he might be familiar with it. Nico shook his head and shrugged a little. "Great snowboarding, surprisingly decent surfing at times," he added as if Nico might be planning a vacation. Nico laughed a little, which Will was thrilled to hear. "Anyway, my mom's a musician. She tours with this rock band from Vancouver, and does some awesome alt-country solo stuff. She met Apollo in Austin at a music festival, and, well... here I am.". Nico waited. Will didn't continue. "So then you just came to camp as an infant? The end?" Nico asked, one eyebrow raised.

Will laughed ruefully, "Such is not the luck of the demigod child. I guess I had a normal childhood for the kid of a single mom focused on her music. I tagged along on tour, went to the same public school when we were in town. Mom always said I was special...", he smirked, "but when I was old enough to think about it, I always just thought she was referring to me being gay." he gave Nico a sideways glance. Nico smiled a bit as he looked out into the woods, listening. 

"But gradually I knew I was truly weird. Besides picking up guitar instantaneously, and having pretty much perfect aim in every sport, I also could tell doctors exactly what was hurting when they asked. Like, they would say, "oh you hurt your arm little boy?", and I'd be like, "I think it's a distal radius fracture", and I was four years old. And I could tell what was happening with others - how far advanced was the stomach cancer of the old lady I helped cross the street, percent oxygenation of blood of the asthmatic kid on my baseball team. By the time I was 11, it was getting really distracting. I had more and more trouble shutting it out. I felt more and more compelled to intervene, to touch people, to suggest or even to perform procedures I knew they needed. Some of those people didn't even know they were sick! I started having nightmares with the running theme that I was letting people die all around me." 

Nico was still as he listened intently. He could relate to that - the constant knowledge of the living and dying all around him. It hadn't occurred to him that healing power would be similar - but it made sense, sort of a different, more detailed knowledge of the life-force.

Will continued, staring parallel to Nico's gaze, not really seeing the trees, but seeing himself at the beginning of 5th grade on a field trip. "We were on a bus, winding down out of the mountains. We'd been on a hiking trip, and we had to sketch wild mushrooms. Well..., " Will stopped. Nico waited. "Well, we were all joking around like kids do, not paying attention, and the bus suddenly jolted and weaved, braking suddenly. We all fell all over the place, but aside from bumps and bruises and the scare of the moment we were alright. The bus had braked for a mountain goat that had run across the road. We all laughed in relief. The bus started again. But then this commotion started, with our teacher screaming for the bus driver to call 911. One of our friends hadn't gotten up. She appeared to be choking on one of the grapes she'd been eating when the bus lurched. Our teacher was trying the Heimlich maneuver, over and over, and she started to panic and lose it completely. I remember moving toward them like I was in a trance. I put my hand on our teacher's shoulder and she stopped freaking, but collapsed into a seat. When I touched the girl, Sarah, I could feel her life slipping away, but I knew she wasn't choking - it was something else. A heart condition. I started CPR, but I knew it wasn't working.". Here Will's voice broke, and he took a second to swallow. Nico was watching him now, wide-eyed.

"They told me later about how I stopped the compressions, and just laid my hands on her chest and prayed over her.". Will gave a dry laugh. "That would be the all-American Christian solution. But, what I was actually doing was entreating Apollo to intervene - an ancient Greek hymn I hadn't ever been taught. I could feel the power channeling through my hands and into my friend - holding her life-force together. If I let go, she was dead. So I didn't let go." 

Nico had a flashback to earlier that morning. Barely breathing, he reached over and lightly covered Will's fingers with his as they rested on the fence rail. Will didn't move his hand, but he turned his face toward Nico. Nico could see that tears were sliding down Will's cheeks unchecked, but he smiled acknowledging the small gesture of comfort. 

"They told me later that the bus driver was racing down the mountain to meet the ambulance, the kids were all crying or in shock, our teacher was definitely in shock, or was praying, or something. I don't remember. It took all my energy to suspend my classmate in life until I could get her to an operating room. My nose started to bleed. It was dripping down onto my hands. I didn't let go. When we got to the ambulance, I was pale and sweating, blood trickling from my ears. I screamed at the paramedics when they tried to pull me away. And when they realized they couldn't shock her heart back into beating, but that she was alive when I touched her, they let me crawl onto her stretcher and resume... whatever I was doing. I wouldn't let them touch me, but I managed to tell them what to radio ahead to the hospital about the girl's condition so they would have the OR prepared. By the time we got into the operating room and the docs took over, I couldn't see. My arms were coated with the blood from my nose. I passed out completely and was taken away on a stretcher." 

Will paused to sniff, and wipe his cheeks with his free hand. "Mom was terrified, of course. The doctors didn't know what to do with me. They gave me a blood transfusion, but they couldn't get me to come around. I wonder if I'll ever get the full story from my Mom, but basically, on the third night of my coma Mom either went crazy or came to her senses. Beside my hospital bed she created a shrine to my dad, burning an offering he wouldn't be able to ignore. She burned the lock of hair that she'd stolen from him the night I was, er, conceived. It was sacrilege to clip his hair in the first place, apparently, but... story goes that he couldn't smite my mother as he should have done. Instead he kissed the lock of hair, and placed it on my mother's belly, and "blessed her with child", as the story books say.". 

Nico and Will grimaced at each other - the less one tried to analyze godly love affairs, the better. 

"The smell of his own hair burning definitely had the desired effect. Apollo arrived enraged, and the nurses came rushing in to the room to find my mother pounding the chest of a handsome blonde young man wearing sunglasses indoors, and screaming that he was letting his son die. The mist being what it is, they quickly forgot what they saw and remembered that they'd arrived only to straighten my sheets. Short story very, very long - Apollo gave me what the doctors couldn't: ambrosia and nector. When I came to, my mother told me it was time for me to come to camp, where I could learn to control my powers. And I did. October, age 11. A year before you."

In the quiet that followed Will's story, Nico decided he had to share himself with Will too. Hearing about the depth of Will's power made him want to get to know this surfing, snowboarding, super-controller of the life-force even more.

"You know what damaged me most on the quest?", Nico began, not daring to look at Will. 

"That fucking jar?", Will suggested, which broke the ice a little.

Nico smiled briefly. "No, different kinda of thing. I mean, something happened that actually knocked me out for three days, and I literally almost faded out of reality." Will noticeably blanched. He was remembering how difficult it was to keep Nico's body from fading in the infirmary, how terrifying that was. The top rail of the fence became icy cold, as Nico started trembling. Will clutched Nico's hand firmly in his, "Nico!", he cried in concern, "Stop!". 

"No, I have to tell you." It was Nico's turn to allow the tears to flow unchecked. He could hardly get the words out. "I... killed a demigod - in cold blood!"

Will was shocked, but he didn't let go of Nico's hand, and he didn't say anything. Nico rushed to explain, the words tumbling forth, like a landslide in a rainstorm. He explained about Bryce Lawrence's twisted conniving with Octavian to bring Reyna in for execution, to torture coach Hedge to death, and finally about his own explosion of dark power - the years of pent up secrets, self-hatred, grief and rage that had reduced Bryce to a ghost that Nico could then command to disappear.  
Nico glared into the woods as his tears slowed, and waited for Will to yank his hand away in disgust. It didn't happen. Will waited for Nico's breathing to calm. He was shocked and horrified by the story, but not how Nico thought.

"That," Will began softly, "is mythically profound.". Nico couldn't comprehend what Will was saying. He turned to face him. "Listen, if Bryce hadn't died, he would have killed Reyna, gruesomely killed the Coach, killed you, prevented the delivery of the Athena Parthenos, and the quest wouldn't be completed and Gaea would have risen and the world as we know it would no longer exist!". Nico felt a flicker of hope, remnants of golden light deep in his belly. Will went on, his voice emphatic and his face intense with amazed understanding, "You were the only one who could complete that part of the quest, Nico. Think of it, this was like the culminating event of your life - the burdens you've had to bear, not being able to share them, horrors, and fear, and hatred festering until they had the power to do this one thing - defeat an enemy to save your friends and save the world." Will's face was shining with admiration. "This isn't evidence of gruesome, callous antipathy to life, Nico. This is dark power used for higher purpose! And that darkness is now gone from you. You survived, and..." he might have had more to say, but Nico couldn't help but interrupt the only way his bursting heart would allow. He slid closer to Will, reaching his hand to the back of Will's neck and pouring all of his immense relief into the sweetest kiss that stretch of woods had ever witnessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm totally imagining Will's mom as Neko Case (check out her stuff if you don't know it. The Vancouver band is The New Pornographers).


	4. To The Close of the Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a lot of stuff in it. Nico has a pretty wrenching day. But the darling boys make it through, and everybody's happy by the end.
> 
> Shout out to others (many others) who have put Mitchell from Aphrodite cabin in the position of cutting Nico's hair. I acknowledge it's been handled differently, and funnier, in other places. I encourage you to find them all! I admit I did imagine Mitchell in this role long before I read any fanfics, but, alas, great minds think alike.
> 
> Same goes for a campfire kiss. Anyone whoever went to camp knows that, of course, a public campfire kiss is going to happen. A camp romance is, technically, null and void if the first public kiss takes place anywhere but! (we all thought no one was looking around the fire.... silly us at that age)

Chiron watched Nico approach the big house from the dining pavilion after lunch. He'd been fairly impressed with his idea to pair Nico up with Will Solace for the entire morning. Mara had been nodding and smiling approvingly as he gave the boys their assignments after breakfast. 

He tended to not get involved in the love lives of Camp Half Blood demigods, but in the old days of the classical heroes sexual love was actively encouraged as an antidote to the grueling, soul-poisoning, not to mention life-span-reducing, nature of quests. Chiron had seen it work more than once - a little romance (or, sex, really to be completely honest) was tremendously restorative. Chiron mused on the ancient Greek concept: hedonism - "delight" - defined by the Cyrenaic school of Greek philosophers as the highest good. Chiron had long felt it unfortunate that this old philosophy tended to be at odds with the generally puritanical America in which Camp Half Blood was situated. It was no longer considered ok to facilitate orgiastic activity in adolescents. But the demigods were a pretty precocious bunch. Chiron tried to walk the fine line between protecting the innocence of the younger campers, and allowing the older heroes, particularly the questers and the warriors, the freedom to explore the, ah, ancient rehabilitative arts. Namely, he turned a mostly blind eye to the skinny dipping, semi-public make out sessions, and occasional sleepovers. 

This was the first time, in several hundred years, that he had made any effort to encourage two demigods to get together. Since he saw them sleeping together in the infirmary, and Mara had told him how Will's touch had calmed Nico like no other despite (and this was the really interesting part that he had learned later) Will not exerting any sort of deliberate healing via his touch, Chiron was fascinated with the idea of a fated connection. These boys, who seemed so opposite it many ways, were perhaps meant to be together in the most profound way - like Plato's soul-mate philosophy - beings cut in half by the gods, and then searching for their other half and then being made whole upon finding that person. Plus, it had been ages since a child of Hades had lived a long and happy life. Chiron wanted Nico to make it.  
Nico cleared his throat, standing in the doorway to Chiron's study. Chiron started, and turned his wheelchair so he could face the son of Hades. He studied him for a moment - tall, but so thin, the jutting cheekbones almost obscured by his long, unruly dark hair, his hands large and strong - the hands of a swordsman, that wicked silver ring and those black clothes.

The aura was all Hades. Powerful! And dark as deep water, majestic, elegant. The look was softened by Nico's large black eyes and expressive mouth - the look of his mother, Bianca too. 

"Uh, you wanted to see me?" Nico interrupted his train of thought again. Chiron shook his head to clear it.

"Yes, yes, come in and sit down," Chiron motioned to a chair in front of his desk. "I understand you've decided to stay at camp."

Nico nodded as he sat down. 

"How was your first morning out and about?" Chiron inquired, deliberately casual. To Chiron's delight, even though Nico's expression remained neutral, Nico blushed deeply before replying, "Yeah, good".  
"Good, good", Chiron replied, looking down and shuffling some papers on his desk. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Nico working hard to keep his mouth from smiling. When Chiron looked up again, Nico was looking back at him, solemnly - what smile?

"This is just an orientation meeting, Nico". For a moment, Nico had the crazy idea that Chiron meant sexual orientation. But he quickly realized, of course, and thank the gods, Chiron meant general camp orientation - where to buy what you need (the camp store - or in town or the city), yes, he could change the decor of his cabin, camp routines (mandatory physical training, monster classes, capture the flag). Nico knew a lot of this stuff from his previous stays at Camp Half Blood. Campers received a weekly allowance of golden drachmas. Here, Chiron paused.  
Nico hadn't really been listening. He wasn't all that interested at the moment. His mind was reeling! His conversation with Will had given him a completely new way to think about being a son of Hades! He had always considered himself cursed to have the darkest god for a parent - the most feared god, the most horrific and goulish. But he was starting to understand that there was a purpose to being the one who could handle the darkness of the world, and who could differentiate the degrees of darkness - life in the shadows was not all evil and torment. Grief, loss, death - these were real experiences of every person. Maybe it was a privilege to be able to commune with the dead, to learn from them and to help ease their passage. With his own anger and resentment spent, he now could concentrate on - he wasn't even sure... he just felt the enormous potential of being part of the natural order of the life-cycle. He wasn't doomed to be the creepy loner kid, lurking on the outskirts. He could have a home, and friends, ...and Will. He smiled unwittingly. And then realized Chiron was staring at him. 

"Earth to Nico....", Chiron was waving his hand in front of Nico's face. "Sorry, " Nico mumbled around his smile, "you were saying?"

Chiron continued good-naturedly. "Listen, Nico. I have something to tell you. I'm not sure what you've been doing for money...". He glanced up. Nico shrugged. "Bianca and I had credit cards when we left the Lotus Hotel. They always worked wherever we were. I had mine, until.... well, until I went searching for the doors of death."

"No matter", Chiron interrupted. "Here". He pushed a couple cards across the desk towards Nico. Nico looked at them.  
"I know you've spent more time with your father than other demigods tend to get to. But I don't know if he's told you much of your story, and it's not for me to tell here. But I can tell you that you have resources. You can buy what you want for your cabin. You can pay to go to school wherever you choose."  
Nico looked at Chiron uncomprehendingly. "Hades is giving me money?" he asked.  
Chiron shook his head. "No, Nico. The money is from your mother. She had a little money of her own, unbeknownst to her family. That small amount, a few thousand dollars, went to you and Bianca when she ...died. Hades managed to have the money diverted to a trust fund, and it has been invested, rather lucratively, since 1942. Bianca's share diverted to you upon her death. You, Nico, are a very wealthy young man."

Nico's pursed his lips. He didn't know anything about money - having it or not. On one hand, he never seemed to lack cash if he wanted it. On the other, he'd been on his own, fending for himself since he was 11 years old. He couldn't help but think he'd give up any financial security to just have a normal life with a mother and a sister. Chiron watched his features darken. He sighed. "We can discuss it later, as you wish to. For now just know you can get yourself what you need from the store." Nico silently took the cards from the desk and slid them into his back pocket. "You can go, Nico," Chiron dismissed, and watched him bolt from the room. He sighed again, and shook his head wearily. These kids would be the death of him, if he could die.

Nico rubbed his hands over his face as he headed toward the store. This day was getting to be entirely too much, and it wasn't even 2:00 yet. He wondered if maybe a nap would be a good idea. He didn't feel like seeing anyone right now. But first, he didn't even have a toothbrush...

Nico was able to quickly purchase some toiletries and basic clothes (there was a black Camp Half Blood t-shirt, with CHB in orange on the sleeve that would do for now), as well as plain cotton sheets and a grey duvet. He couldn't face the red velvet again.

Back at his cabin, with everything put away and his bed newly made, Nico flopped down and opened a bag of chips. The shrine to Hades was in his line of sight, and he absently looked at the scattering of bones and jewels. But then he noticed something new. A small silvery frame was standing there. Nico sat up and approached it warily. When he could see it clearly he just stood and stared. The snack bag slipped out of his hand to the floor. In the frame was an old black and white picture. It showed a young woman in a summer dress with long dark hair spilling over her shoulder. Drawn close to her on either side were two dark haired children who could have been twins - a girl in a short skirt and knee socks, and a boy in short pants and a cap. They were all laughing at the camera, standing at a vaporetto stop on The Grand Canal. The stamped date was visible at the bottom - 1939. Nico discovered he was holding his breath as he reached out a shaking hand to pick up the frame. He stared at it. His family. For years he'd tried to remember his mother's face! He was 8 years old in this picture, Bianca 9. He tried in vain to recall the moment the photo was taken, but it was still lost in the river Lethe somewhere. He still only remembered fragments of his childhood. He held the frame close to his face, trying to memorize every feature of his mother's face. He realized it was like looking in the mirror. Nico reached down to touch one of the bones on the obsidian shrine. "Thank you, father," he prayed.

He stumbled back over to his bunk and lay down, unable to take his eyes off the photo. Completely emotionally bowled over for the third time today, Nico allowed exhaustion to claim him.

Nico didn't fight for control of his dreams and they were full of sunshine. He had to squint and finally close his eyes completely against the bright, warm light. As soon as his lashes touched his cheeks, warm lips pressed against his. He opened his mouth into the kiss accepting Will's tongue with his own, the golden light now pouring into his body. Just as he felt his body would burst apart, unable to contain the light, he was falling. Down, down, through the earth. Then he was standing in the familiar and forbidding throne room of his father, Hades, king of the underworld. Hades stood in front of his throne, his black cloak swirling around him. His eyes were kind as he observed his son. "Well done, Nico" he said, and reached out to lay his hand upon Nico's head in a gesture of affection. Nico went suddenly completely rigid, overcome by that same wracking painful sensation like when bloodflow returns after a limb falls asleep. Nico awoke with a start. 

He was instantly aware of two things: one, he'd been deeply asleep, and for quite some time - early evening light filtered through his windows; and two, he could remember everything of his previous life. Everything! The villa on the canal, his governess and her gondolier lover, his grandfather during formal dinners, a gaggle of cousins, chattering away to Bianca, his mother... His mother!

Nico lay as if paralyzed, terrified the memories would disappear when he moved, like the fading of a dream. But they remained, like someone had opened a forgotten door in his brain and there the memories were - intact and unsullied.

Nico had no idea what time it was, as it hadn't occurred to him to buy a watch or a clock at the store. He managed to prop his newest possession on his bedside table before stumbling to the shower, hoping hot water would clear his pounding head.

The shower worked wonders, although it meant discarding soggy bandages again. Maybe the werewolf wounds would heal better exposed to air anyway? Quickly dressing in his old jeans and a new t-shirt, and lacing up his boots, Nico went out, hoping for dinner. A couple other campers seemed to be heading that way.

In fact, dinner was well underway when he entered the pavilion. A few heads turned as he made his way to table 13. Percy, alone at table 3, caught his eye and gave him a small smile and wave, which Nico returned. After making the obligatory sacrifice to the gods at the hearth, Nico tucked into his dinner and allowed himself to look for Will at table 7. He found the pink t-shirt easily, and the shaggy blond hair. Will had his back to him. But suddenly, as if he could sense he was being watched, Will whipped around, his blue eyes meeting Nico's. Nico raised his fingers in the most subtle of waves, but tried to put his feelings into his eyes. Will gave the briefest wink in acknowledgment, before turning his lovely face back to his cabinmates. No one noticed the exchange.

Just as Nico was finishing his dinner, Will slid onto the bench next to him and made a show of examining Nico's wounded arms. "These need new bandages," he declared loudly. Then he murmured, "sit with me at campfire tonight". He glanced briefly into Nico's eyes again. Nico nodded. Will smiled as he backed away from the table. "Breathe, Nico," he said to himself, running his fingers through his hair. Which reminded him....

Ten minutes later, Nico tentatively knocked on the door of Aphrodite cabin. The door was opened after a moment by a boy a bit older than Nico who was so good-looking it made Nico catch his breath. "It's Nico, right?" the boy said, smiling dazzlingly, when Nico didn't say anything. "I'm Mitchell." Nico closed his mouth, and reached out to shake Mitchell's hand. "I'm looking for Piper," he managed.  
"She's not here..." the beautiful boy admitted. Nico shifted his weight on the cabin steps. This kid probably knew the answer to his question, from the look of him. "I just wanted to know, who cuts hair around here?". Nico found himself blushing for some reason, and Mitchell's eyes moved over Nico's mop of dark waves. "You're in luck," he declared, opening the cabin door to invite Nico in. "That's me!"

Mitchell had an easy grace about him that made Nico feel immediately welcome and comfortable. He sat Nico down in front of a mirrored dressing table at the back of the cabin, and then stood behind him, studying Nico in the mirror. Nico reached up to the back of his hair and started to speak, "Just..."  
He was promptly shushed by Mitchell, and he fell silent, staring back at Mitchell's mirrored image. "I know what to do for you," Mitchell was already grabbing a comb and scissors. "But I need to know, who are we doing this for?" Nico's shock registered on his face, and Mitchell laughed a little, but not meanly. He explained, "most guys here at camp just take a dagger or garden shears to their hair if they feel the need. Until they want to impress someone. Then they come to me. Who do you want to impress?" Nico desperately hoped charmspeak was not Mitchell's Aphrodite legacy. There was no way he was ready to publicly admit anything about his feelings for Will Solace. He just shook his head. Mitchell grinned at him in disbelief. "I just like my hair.... ...looking ...nice," Nico mumbled feebly. Mitchell paused, studying him intently. "You know, Nico? I just about almost believe you."

Nico watched as Mitchell expertly snipped and shaped, chummily chatting about Nico's classic features, and perfect skin tone, until most of the shaggy length was gone and the layered waves became softly spilling curls, short at the nape of his neck, and shaped and jutting down before his ears. His cheek bones popped, and his shadowy eyes seemed even larger than before. Nico could hardly recognize himself; he felt like he was looking at his mother.

"There," Mitchell said triumphantly, "that will impress any girl, or anyone, here.". Nico's eyes shot up at that to meet Mitchell's in the mirror. Mitchell held his gaze knowingly for a moment, and then gave his shoulders a gentle shove. "Off you go, gorgeous," he said quietly, "It's almost campfire time." At the door, Nico turned, rubbing his hand over his newly bared neck. "Thanks," he said sincerely. Mitchell gave him a lovely half-grin. "You are welcome anytime!"

Nico could hear the Apollo cabin warming up for the campfire sing-along like the world's most bad-ass glee club with the intro to Where Eagles Dare. As he got closer he was amused to see the drumming was being more than adequately handled by one of the youngest Apollo sons, and Will was hamming it up on the electric guitar while Austin continued setting up instruments and plugging things in laughing at them goofing off. A bunch of kids were jumping around in front of the stage area. 

Nico had stopped walking and was grinning at the scene on stage, admiring Will's guitar chops. Campers were finding seats around the amphitheater, and Nico wasn't sure whether he should wait for Will? If Will was going to be on stage for awhile, should he just sit somewhere?

Just as he was about to try to catch Will's eye, someone called, "Hey Nico!". He turned toward the voice, as did Will who had heard Percy's shout as the Iron Maiden warm-up had wound down. Will first noticed Nico's hair, and his mouth dropped open. Then he noticed Percy's hand reach up to ruffle Nico's hair, and he noticed the blush on Nico's cheeks as he jerked his head out of reach. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but at one point Nico laid his hand on Percy's forearm. Will felt his heart pounding. What was he seeing? He saw Nico half-smile, gesturing with hands emphatically. Percy rubbed the back of his neck, and Nico looked away, like he was done with the conversation. He looked up and saw Will staring down at him. He grinned that stunning grin, melting away some of the uncertainty, and waved. Percy turned and glanced up at Will, and then backed away from Nico, saying, "I'll see you later". "Yeah," Nico said absently, happy eyes on Will who was now jumping down from the stage. Will watched Percy jog up to where Annabeth was sitting off to one side, but Nico didn't. "Where are we sitting?" Nico was saying. They were walking close together, but not touching, and the space between them was electric. They squeezed themselves into the front row, which forced their shoulders and knees to touch. When Will turned his face toward Nico and whispered admiringly, "Great hair!" their faces were as close as they were under the oak tree this morning. Nico just grinned. The happiness he felt under the oak tree this morning was simmering in his chest, threatening to boil over.

Chiron had made his way to the edge of the blazing fire to the side of the stage to welcome the campers and make a few announcements, and both Nico and Will were shocked out of their happy inattention by Chiron calling for Nico. Nico raised his hand. "I'm sorry to put you on the spot, Nico, but before we start singing and s'mores, it is day 9 of mourning. Can you lead the ritual of remembrance?". Nico glanced over at Will who looked concerned, but how could he refuse. It was his duty as son of Hades. 

The crowd of campers was silent as Nico got up and made his way to the fire. He turned to the solemn assembly. He closed his eyes for a moment, with a bit of a pained expression, but when he spoke his voice was clear and carried well. 

"As many of you probably know, the 9th day of mourning marks the beginning of the period of remembrance.". He paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "The remembrance is important, imperative, really, not just for how we process our loss and start to move on, but also for helping the dead retain... substance, so to speak, in the underworld, to help shape their existence in Elysium, or as they choose another life. It's our duty to call the dead by name, and to... focus our thoughts... to choose the memory that will sustain them. How we remember the dead, with spite or malice, with kindness, or neglecting to remember them at all shapes who they are.". He paused again. He looked over the crowd and saw faces pinched in grief, tears on a few cheeks, and fear on more than a few faces. "My role is not to call forth the dead. They won't... reappear. My job is to create the space for the ritual, and to lead it. The words are ancient Greek, which we all know intuitively, most of us....," he glanced up a Jason, the Roman-trained who was clutching Piper's hand. "I'll translate first. Then I'll have the head counselors call out the names one at a time. I'll speak the ritual, and everyone repeats the words. Then we have a moment of silence where we remember our fallen friends with intention. We use the fire as a focal point.". At this point he turned toward the flames, but where he was still visible to the crowd. He closed his eyes and raised his hands, warning all other spirits to keep their distance. He did three ward against evil gestures, three fingers held claw-like to his heart and then pushed to the sky. The campers, and Chiron copied him. Nico opened his eyes and focused on the flickering flames. His called for the first name. A strained voice from the Ares cabin called out "Micah Law". A sob sounded from somewhere in the crowd. Nico took a deep breath, "Micah Law," he repeated strongly. The words that followed were in English, followed by the ancient Greek, and the campers repeated Nico's words at each pause. 

"We remember you.  
We do not hold you to us.  
We will not keep you here with us  
We give you our thoughts to carry with you.  
Carry the strength of these thoughts with you"

A minute of silence followed the words; soft crying and ragged breathing were the only sounds.

And so it continued - 10 demigods had died in the battle against Gaea. And Nico's voice carried strongly until the last when Jake Mason's choked voice called out "Leo Valdez". He stood there swallowing, feeling his own tears starting to stream and he couldn't get the words out. He heard Piper's cry of grief over the crowd. And finally Nico repeated the name of his friend, in a broken voice, "Leo Valdez". By the end of the minute of silence, the air around the amphitheatre thrummed with raw emotion. Tears still streamed, friends embraced. But most of the campers watched Nico move shakily back to his seat and squeeze in beside Will who gave him a proud smile. They all drew in a breath as Will suddenly reached an arm around Nico's shoulders and surprised him with a gentle kiss on his cheek. They collectively gasped as Nico turned and firmly kissed Will full on the mouth in response. The boys were grinning and laughing through their tears as they broke apart. The crowd whistled and laughed and applauded their approval; grief releasing, and spirits lifting. Will kept his arm around Nico, and Nico rested his head on Will's shoulder. The sun dipped below the horizon as Austin went to pick up a guitar, and voices rose in song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ends Nico's convalescence. But, stay tuned! More to come!


	5. Two weeks later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Nico and Will can part for the school year, Will just has to know - what's with Nico and Percy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought this chapter might stand on it's own, but then figured it fits with The Convalescence as it's mostly about Nico's history with Percy.
> 
> It will be the last chapter though. Stay tuned for other things. I plan to tackle that terrible part in Trials of Apollo when, for some reason, Nico and Will are taking a canoe ride, in January!!, just before the statue attacks the camp. It's always bothered me! But, I think I have it figured out and will post in the next week or so.

Nico was late heading to the beach party celebrating the end of the summer session as he had been caught up in the practice arena by a younger camper who wanted some practice drills to work on over the school year. Nico had just been starting to return to practicing sword drills himself, as his arm wounds were finally knitting back together, but it had quickly become clear that his skills far outshone most of those of the other campers. He had become a sought after teacher these last few days. Nico had stayed behind to write some things out for the camper, and to demonstrate a couple things she wasn't clear about. As he was leaving the arena he noticed a sweatshirt tossed to the side, likely discarded during an earlier workout. Picking it up, he realized it was Percy's. He could drop it off at his cabin on the way to the beach. 

Walking toward the cabins, Nico was unable to resist the urge to raise the clothing to his nose and breathe in Percy's distinctive smell of salty sea breezes. And yes, his heart clenched in response, he realized resignedly. He frequently gave himself these little tests; the my-mind-knows-I'm-over-Percy-but... tests. Does his laugh still make my spine tingle? No. But, does his scent make me want to nestle my face against the curve of his neck? Kinda.

Nico knew he was falling hard for Will Solace and he sincerely wanted to be completely over Percy Jackson. Acknowledging resurgences of his old feelings for Percy seemed counterproductive to that end, but Reyna had been reassuring a few nights ago when Nico had iris-messaged her in a panic at midnight. Thank the gods, it was only 9:00 in California and he caught Reyna alone and not sleeping. Nico badly needed to talk something through. He'd considered Hazel, but some things you can't say to your sister.

****

"Nico! What's wrong?" Reyna's voice had been full of concern after taking one glance at his image. He was pale, and wide-eyed with his hair sticking up all over the place, leaning against the sink in his bathroom. 

"Reyna, I think I'm seriously fucked up!" he began, unable to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Nico, take a breath, calm down, and tell me what's going on. We can talk, I have time." Reyna was sitting cross-legged on her bed, surrounded by scrolls and books like she was studying, or conducting research. 

Nico had taken her advice, and after a calming breath was able to go on. Reyna already knew about Will, about how they had become immediately inseparable after Nico had woken up in the infirmary, about their first kisses. And, of course, Reyna knew about Nico's previous feelings for Percy. In a shaky voice, Nico told his friend about how things had recently become more, physical, with Will. "And it's great, and fun," he reassured her. 

He felt the heat in his face as he recalled fumbling enthusiastically through their first hand-jobs - Will's hilarious moment of panicked uncertainty upon discovering that Nico was uncircumcised; "Aaaa! Foreskin!" had since become a never-really-appropriate private joke. Not that he gave Reyna the details. Reyna smiled at how Nico's expression had, over the course of a sentence or two, shifted from pale and panicked to smiling and flushed. 

"Good for you guys," Reyna said, "so what's the problem?". 

Nico's eyes widened again, "A dream. I just had this dream. A..." he found he couldn't go on. 

"A sexy dream about Will?" Reyna prompted, "I'd say that's pretty normal, and probably super-fun..." 

"No," Nico interrupted, "well, yes, and no....".

"Nico, just tell me. You can't embarrass me. Not after Albania," Reyna teased.

"Oh gods! Albania!" Nico grimaced, but then went on, "I was dreaming about Will," he admitted, blushing, "about.... well, I was standing with my back to him with my hands against a wall. And I could feel his face at my neck, his breath, and hear his voice saying my name or something, and he had his hand wrapped around me." He stole a glance at Reyna, who was listening and nodding as if Nico was simply reciting a grocery list. He continued, "I think my eyes were closed, and everything felt really good. Really... nice, but not, you know, THAT good, not at the point of..."

"I get the picture," Reyna interjected.

"Right. So I look down to watch, and I realize..." Nico gulped, "it's not Will. I mean, I can hear Will's voice in my ear, I can smell his shampoo, but the hand is bigger with calloused skin, and a strong forearm with Roman Legion tattoos and the mark of Neptune. And when I realize it's Percy's hand, I'm suddenly RIGHT THERE. I mean, as soon as I think "Percy!", it becomes not lovely and nice, but raw and dirty and amazing. But, as I, you know, finish, it's Will's voice saying, "Oh, Nico! Yes!" like he doesn't realize that he wasn't the one getting me off." Nico dared to look at Reyna again. Her face was still composed, but with the faintest flush on her cheeks. 

"But," he continued, anxious to make sure Reyna understood, "he does! I mean, there's no problem with that. I mean, everything with Will is amazing." 

"Nico, I get it. I don't think this dream means that you want Percy and not Will, or that Will doesn't turn you on. Remember you loved Percy for years, and it's only been maybe a month since you let yourself accept that you guys were never going to happen. You've moved on, but all those feelings that you're developing for Will are going to be tangled up with your old feelings for Percy for awhile. And maybe you do still have some feelings for Percy..." Here Nico interrupted with a growl of protest, but Reyna held up her hand. "I'm serious, Nico. Maybe Percy does still get you going, a little bit. Maybe not the way he used to, maybe not forever, but right now, maybe.... it's complicated. My advice? Just let it be. If you feel great with Will, then that's great - don't second guess it. If Percy gets you off in your dreams sometimes, so what? You get turned on and you go play with Will.". Reyna was watching Nico's face as he considered what she had said. "Feel a bit better?" she asked. 

He nodded. "Thanks, and sorry for all the...details..."

Reyna shrugged, "Hey, I can handle it. Go back to bed Nico! Talk later." She blew him a kiss, swiped her hand through the mist and was gone. 

Nico had drawn a deep breath. He knew Reyna had hit the nail on the head. He still had some feelings for Percy, but he was determined to not let them diminish what he was feeling for Will.

****

Nico tossed Percy's shirt into the corner of his own cabin as he changed into swimming trunks and a clean t-shirt, and grabbed a towel. He scowled at the sweatshirt, but managed to pick it up again, well away from his nose, and he hurried to Cabin 3. If Percy wasn't there he could just leave it on the door knob.

Nico could see the door was slightly ajar as he approached the cabin, but he didn't register what he was hearing until he'd almost grabbed the door to let himself in. He managed to stop himself just in time, frozen in shock by what he could see through the partially open door. The sounds then made perfect sense. After a mesmerizing minute he managed to back away silently and unnoticed, leaving Percy's clothing on the porch step. 

He stumbled toward the beach, unable to stop replaying the scene in his mind. Bathing suits discarded in a trail from the door. Annabeth's back pressed against the far wall of the cabin with long, tanned legs wrapped around Percy's waist while Percy grasped her hips. Her fingers were claws along Percy's t-shirt and in his hair. Percy's frenzied thrusting was almost violent. Their faces were locked in a passionate kiss, both groaning, and Annabeth's toes curled in climax. Percy had broken their kiss and buried his face into Annabeth's neck as he came. Nico had turned away just as they had both crumpled to the floor. He realized his heart was pounding, and he couldn't catch his breath. At the boathouse, just before the beach, he paused and leaned against the clapboards, cursing the demigod ability to capture every detail of even a swift observation - useful on the battlefield, not so much when you walk in on your friends fucking. He tried to force his jumbled thoughts into some kind of order. The image of Percy's perfectly chiseled butt clenched in orgasm was admittedly super-hot ("let it be... let it be..." he repeated like a mantra in his head, "go find Will...."). But, was he jealous of Annabeth? He would have been. Even a month ago, seeing Annabeth and Percy together made him almost physically ill with envy and despair. He was grateful to realize that now, no, jealousy was not among his swirling emotions. 

But something else was there.... a sadness that seemed out of step with the passion of the scene - the last second when they fell to the floor still entwined. Nico had clearly seen tears rolling down the side of Percy's face, and had heard Annabeth's voice: "No, we're OK. We made it. We're together...". He hadn't heard anymore, but he was pretty sure he knew what that was about. Tartarus. 

Nico's quest-inflicted damage had been so public, with him almost fading into nothingness, his dramatic infirmary stay, and his obvious scars. But all the questers were damaged and healing. They all had intensive debriefing sessions with Chiron, healing regimens arranged by Apollo cabin healers, and lots of leeway to just do what they needed to do. And just being surrounded by friends in the post-battle calm, and doing normal camp routines forced away the stresses of the quest. But Tartarus was almost impossible to deal with. So few demigods had survived it, even Chiron had no point of reference to help Nico and Percy and Annabeth process their experiences. Nico could completely understand how passionate sex would bring on flashbacks of the loneliness and anguish of that place - a reminder that you were no longer trapped in the darkest part of the underworld, but at the same time highlighting the fear felt when you were - fear that normal things like being with someone you loved would never be possible again. Nico could understand how Percy could be brought to tears this afternoon, but, honestly, it was the first time he'd ever seen Percy breakdown. His heart squeezed again, but this time it was in sympathy.

Nico squinted as he rounded the boathouse onto the beach. The sun glinted off the sand. The youngest campers ran around playing and swimming in the shallows. Some older campers were swimming farther out, playing beach volleyball, or hanging out in groups on scattered beach blankets, sunbathing and chatting. Music was playing, and some kids were gathering wood for the bonfire. 

Jason saw Nico first and called him over to where he was sitting with Will and Piper. "Nico, get over here and kiss your boyfriend so he and Piper will shut up for one effing second!" Jason sounded exasperated, but he was grinning. With his three friends sitting close together on the blanket, it was impossible for Nico to kiss Will without crawling into his lap, so he settled for ruffling Will's hair affectionately, effectively stopping the intense conversation about surfing conditions at various international beaches. Will grinned up at him in greeting. With his mirrored aviator glasses, perfect tan and unruly blonde hair, he couldn't look more like the son of the sun god if he tried. Nico was tempted to actually crawl into his lap. Piper stuck her tongue out at Jason before turning to Will "To be continued, Will. I definitely want to hear more about winter Tofino.". She turned to Nico, "here, sit down", as she shifted over, making room. Nico sat, "Hi" he now said, smiling into Will's face now inches from his own. Gods, he could never stop smiling around this boy! He did lean in for a kiss tasting sea salt and sunblock on Will's beautiful mouth. He wished they were by themselves, and from the way Will pouted a bit as their kiss ended, Nico knew he probably felt the same way. Maybe they could get away early, go back to his cabin.... 

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Percy and Annabeth, walking together barely holding hands and both looking a bit subdued. Piper narrowed her eyes at them but greeted them warmly, and offered to grab another beach blanket so they could all sit together. Annabeth responded, but Percy ignored the greeting and just looked out at the water. Percy pulled off his t-shirt and declared he was going swimming, "Nico, want to come?". It was clear no one else was invited. "Uh, sure," Nico said warily, standing up. Will was looking between Percy and Nico, and he didn't let go of Nico's hand until Nico had to pull his hand away to remove his own t-shirt. 

"Nico," Will protested, "you just sat down....". He knew it sounded weak, and he wasn't even sure why he was feeling nervous and defensive. Nico glanced at him and shrugged slightly, "I'll be back", he said. 

Will heaved a sigh as he watched the two dark-haired boys jog side-by-side toward the water, into the waves, and then dive under. He couldn't look away as they both made their way farther out with strong free-style strokes. Percy was a natural swimmer, of course, but Nico could keep up, no problem. They looked good together. Well, not "together", but beside each other, which still gave Will a searing pain in his chest.

"What is it with those two?" Will finally asked, glaring moodily at Nico and Percy treading water out where they were barely visible. 

Jason, Annabeth and Piper all looked up from their interrupted conversation and looked questioningly at Will. "What?" Jason asked, though he had an idea where this conversation was going.

Will turned his glare on his three older friends. "Do they have some kind of, history?" His tone was controlled, but sharp as a knife, some of the sun-god fire surfacing. The three older kids exchanged glances as if trying to figure out which of them should take this on. Piper was quiet - she didn't really know any details. 

Jason sighed, "Will, has Nico not said anything?

Will didn't dare speak. No, Nico hadn't, in fact, ever said anything about Percy Jackson.

Jason adjusted his glasses, looking down. He knew something, but he wasn't going to say it. "It's not for me to tell," he said sympathetically, "I swore I wouldn't ever tell anyone."

"So there was something, or is something," Will couldn't keep this statement clear of emotion. His voice shook a bit.

Piper cut in, "Will, Nico is head over heels for you. I can see that. We've never seen that kid smile so much." She put her hand on his arm. "He searches you out, he looks at you like he's trying to absorb you through his eyes, he reaches for you even when he doesn't realize he's doing it." 

Will stared out at Nico and Percy, wanting to take what Piper was saying at face value. He adored Nico, and he had for a long time. There was not even remote competition for his affection. He'd never imagined that Nico's feelings wouldn't be just as simple.

Piper sighed and looked over at Jason. They silently agreed to get up and go for a walk, leaving Annabeth to sidle beside Will. They both stared out at the boys still far out in the water.

"I didn't swear not to say anything." Annabeth began. Her voice was serious and quiet. Will looked over at her. "I do think you should talk to Nico," she continued, "but I think I can also reassure you a little." She took a deep breath as if thinking where to begin. "That morning you asked, or told, Nico to stay in the infirmary, just before he followed you in, remember he came over to talk to me and Percy?" Will nodded. "He said something that took both of us by complete surprise. Nico admitted that he'd had a crush on Percy for a long time, but that it was over. He wanted to clear the air. He told Percy that he was cute, but not his type."

"He said that?" Will gave Annabeth a tentative smile.

"That's a direct quote," she said, smiling back. "Percy was so shocked he couldn't speak. I don't know if it was more shocking that Nico was gay (we always kind of thought he had a thing for me), or that he'd decided Percy wasn't his type". Annabeth laughed, remembering. "And then Nico came out of the infirmary with eyes only for you."  
Will stared out at the water again, realizing Nico and Percy were swimming toward the shore now.

"Nico and Percy have a long and complicated history, Will, but they've never been, and they're never going to be a couple. Just, talk to Nico about it. Anyway," she added, still tingling from her afternoon romp, "Percy's mine." She was still smiling, but there was a finality to her tone that Will didn't dare challenge.

Percy definitely was in better spirits after his swim, grabbing Annabeth in a bear hug still dripping wet and then stopping her squeal of protest with a long kiss that brought her head down to the beach blanket, her golden curls splayed. Will had shunted himself out of the way, and got up quickly. Nico grabbed his arm and pulled him away muttering, "oh gods, not again!". They sauntered off in the opposite direction.

"What do you mean?" Will questioned, when they had slowed to walking at a leisurely pace. Nico didn't answer immediately. They were passing a tall girl with a dark pixie cut, who was in the act of pulling a towel out of her beach bag. 

"Ciao, bella! Cara!" Nico called out to the Italian daughter of Tyche. They moved to cheek kiss each other in greeting, Chiara pulling away from getting dripped on and berating Nico in rapid-fire Italian. Nico shot her his most charming smile, and took the opportunity to steal her towel and start drying off. Chiara gestured wildly, and called Nico something that didn't really require translation. Nico raised his eyebrows, "Hush! You love me!" he flirted, tossing back the now damp towel. "Magari! You wish!" Chiara retorted and translated herself. "Now fuck off!" she laughed, as Nico dragged a bewildered Will away from the flirty argument. Will shook his head. "You're like a different person with Chiara...." Nico shrugged nonchalantly, "it's an Italian thing, I guess. Or like she's an older sister, you know?"

"Oh!" Nico suddenly remembered Will's question, "I pretty much walked in on Percy and Annabeth having sex this afternoon.". Will gaped at him.

"I know!". Nico agreed. "That's what Percy wanted to talk to me about. I mean, he didn't really care about the sex part, though, Will, it was not exactly a PG scene. I saw something he wanted to explain, or, discuss further, anyway."

Will was curious, "What did you see?"

Nico became serious, and told Will about seeing Percy's tears. When Percy had seen his returned sweatshirt on the porch, he suspected Nico might have witnessed the private scene. In the water, they had talked about Tartarus - the nightmares and the flashbacks. Percy admitted to being burnt out, done with quests and prophecies and near-death experiences and saving the world. He just wanted to be with Annabeth, to be at home." Nico paused. "I can relate, I guess. All I want to do is just.... this. Just capturing what I can of a normal kid's life. Just pretending there're no monsters, no special powers, no scars from a werewolf. Just being with this amazing boy I've gotten to know, who also happens to be Really. Fucking. Hot." Nico was holding Will's intense gaze by the end of his speech. Will licked his lips, "oh gods, Nico! I'm leaving tomorrow," he whimpered. "Let's get out of here!" They ran hand in hand toward the cabins.

A couple hours later they returned to the party just in time for the barbecue. Earlier, after bursting into Cabin 13 and practically ripping each other's clothes off, and, once completely sated soon after that, they lay beside each other with their faces almost touching. Nico had answered all of Will's questions about Percy as thoroughly as he could. They discussed plans for the school year - Nico could fly west for Will's birthday in October and could probably join him for an Okemo ski trip after Christmas. By the time they got dressed, any doubts Will had about Nico's feelings had disappeared. They managed to hold themselves together through dinner, and then the bead ceremony at the start of campfire. But before the stars had come out, they snuck away again.

This time they tried to make everything last - long kisses, prolonged caresses over clothing, drawn out undressing, slow wet strokes, pulling back from the edge as many times as they could until they were both shaking in torment. They stared into each other's eyes as they allowed themselves simultaneous relief, and then almost fell asleep while kissing in the sweet calm that followed. 

When the conch horn signaled 10 minutes until curfew, Will hastily got dressed. But Nico hesitated when handing over Will's t-shirt. It was Nico's favourite - the pink one with surfing He-man. Nico tugged it out of Will's hands at the last second. "I'm keeping this," he declared, surprising Will by actually pulling it on. The sight of Nico in pink was so absurd, Will laughed as he pulled Nico into a gleeful hug. "You can give it back to me for my birthday," he said at the doorway. Nico just blew a kiss at him as he went out. Alone, Nico took off Will's shirt and hugged it to his chest as he lay down. He inhaled Will's summery scent, and let the warmth of his love fill him from his head to his toes.


End file.
